The choices your fictional characters make within your story are shaped by their past, which means sometimes, you’ll need to communicate to your reader events that happened before your story began. Not sure how? Try memory or character backstory to share the past in the present. Pin You are a deep, complex, and interesting individual, […]

Dickies has spent much of its 100-year existence providing durable workwear options to people around the US. Founded in 1922 by CN Williamson and EE Dickie in Fort Worth, Texas, the brand has a deep heritage that tracks back to the overalls supplied to farms and ranches in the southwest in its early years. Since […]

We now live in a hybrid world, a world in which – despite the gradual return to the office, the high street, and other physical interaction – much of life continues to be lived online. Though Covid-related, it’s a shift that is unlikely to reverse post-pandemic. So, as we ready for a future epitomised by […]

Artwork by Kit Boyd The Vintage Earth series brings together a collection of titles exploring the relationship between humanity and the environment. Composed of eight reissued books, the set seeks to connect readers with writing and stories linked to the natural world. Eight artists, drawn from around the world, have created covers for the collection […]

Do you dread planning a novel, or love it? Plotters and pantsers often have different perspectives—but which one are you?  Pin Declaring yourself a plotter or pantser is like being asked to pick a house at Hogwarts: are you House Planner or House Pantser? In your writing journey, I can guarantee you’ll connect with writers […]

Ten years ago, it wasn’t the norm for people to carry around reusable bottles: sniffing at disposable coffee cups was more the preserve of eccentric eco-warriors than hip young things doing their bit. Now, thankfully, greater awareness of the damage to the planet from single-use plastics is ­ushering in the everyday use of bottles that can […]

Prince Rupert’s Tower, a listed building constructed in the 1700s on Everton Brow, has been a mainstay on Everton’s club crest for decades. The landmark has now taken on a bigger role in the club’s brand system created by DixonBaxi, namely the new typeface, Rupert Condensed. The typeface draws on the building’s angular architecture through […]

Clearly not all creative people are disorganised, just as not all accountants plan out their lives in spreadsheets. But for many there can be a disconnect between free-flowing ideas, curiosity and imagination, and the persistent need to lock everything down into a rules-based system that makes sense for clients, colleagues, and collaborators. Science has debunked […]

While Chris Bigg’s name might not sound familiar, his style, and the names he’s worked with almost definitely will be: over the years he’s credited with designs for the likes of Pixies, The Breeders, David Lynch, and David Sylvain, as well as countless other bands that grace record label 4AD. 4AD is best known for […]

We can all name a few good fantasy stories off the top of our heads—Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings come to mind. A good fantasy story is immersive. It pulls you in and makes you feel like it’s real, even though it very obviously is not. Pin The Problem With Fantasy World-Building The […]